Container for collecting, storing and dispensing biological fluids



Filed Dec. 3, 1956 y 21, 1959 E. L. COLE 2,895,475 CONTAINER FORCOLLECTING STORING AND DISPENSING BIOLOGICAL FLUIDS 4 Sheets-Sheet 1July 21, 1959 L. COLE CONTAINER FOR COLLECTING STORING AND DISPENSINGBIOLOGICAL FLUIDS 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed D60. 3. 1956 h m4 my July 21,1959 2,895,475

E. L. COLE I CONTAINER FOR COLLECTING STORING AND DISPENSING BIOLOGICALFLUIDS Filed D60. 3 1956 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR.

flare/i L (a/e July 21,1959 E L COLE 2,895,475

CONTAINER FOR COLLECTING STORING'AND DISPENSING BIOLOGICAL FLUIDS FiledDec. 3, 1956 v I mmvrox Here/1 1. (0/2 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Unite Statesatent Patented July 21, 1959 CONTAINER FOR COLLECTING, STORING ANDDISPENSING BIOLOGICAL FLUIDS Everett L. Cole, Savannah, Ga.

Application December 3, 1956, Serial No. 625,975

Claims. (Cl. 128-472) My invention relates to improvements in a methodand container for collecting, storing and dispensingbiological fluids.

Under present conditions thereare many occasions to isolate smallquantities of fluids, such as milk, blood, vaccine, etc. and hold themfor indefinite periods of time before carrying out the end use for whichthe particular fluid was isolated. Some times this involves shipping ofthe isolated fluid and making analyses thereof at some centrallaboratory. In other cases the isolation may beat some central point andthe end use of the individual quantities isolated may be at widelyseparated points. My invention contemplates the provision of a novelcontainer for this minimum of susceptibility of contaminationfrom. theexterior, the container beingof such .a onature that its contents may beextracted with the same degree of freedom from exterior contamination.The. containeraembodying my invention is so constructed. as tobezfree ofthe:usual objections that it is fragile and easily broken. It isalso soconstructed that filling and emptying thereof is readily accomplished byasimple device.

It is also a purpose of myinvention to provide in connection with thecontainer of the character above described, a novel method of taking thefiuid into the container and expelling itfrom. the container which isparticularly adaptable to the sampling of bloodnand -milk from liveanimals.

The nature and advantage of my invention will appear more fully from thefollowing description and the accompanying drawings which illustrate apreferred. embodiment of the invention. it shouldbe understood, however,that the description and drawings are illustrative only and are notintended to limit the invention except insofar as it is limited by theclaims.

In the drawings:

Figure l is a plan view of a container embodying the invention, showingthe container before filling;

Figure 2 is a plan view ofthe container into which the fiuid has beendrawn;

Figure 3 is a side view of the container shown in Figure 2, butillustrating the container with adiiferent cathe ter tip;

Figure 4 is a sectional view through the container on the line 4-4 ofFigure 2;

Figure 5 is an exteriorview ofthe container showing how it may be sealedin a simple manner by a tab carried thereon;

Figure 6 is .a view looking down at Figure 5;

Figure 7 is a view like Figure 6, illustrating another way of sealingthe container;

Figure 8 is an enlarged sectional View of the catheter tip of Figure 3;

Figure 9 is an enlarged sectional view of the catheter tip of Figures land 2; V

Figure 10 is a plan view of a container modified in certain respects toadapt it particularly for isolation of more than one ingredient ofabiological fluid;

Figure 11 is a sectional view taken on the line 1111 of Figure 10;

Figures l2, l3 and 14 are sectional views taken on the lines 12-12, 1313and 14=14 of Figure 11;

Figure 15 is a sectional view similar to Figure 11, show .ing thecontainer as it appears before segregation of one compartment within itfrom another;

Figure 16 is a fragmentary sectional view illustrating the extraction ofthe contents of the container with an ordinary hypodermic needle.

-ofzthe cows udder. These samples are kept separate andproperlyidentified so that upon testing in a fully equipped laboratory,any evidence of disease can be traced to the particular source. Sometimes this testing is done for the purpose of discovering the presenceof such diseases as mastitis. The collection of samples in this fashionand their transportation to the central testing laboratory has involveda tremendous amount of work because the samples have heretofore beencollected in individual glass test tubes or bottles (usually bottles)which must be stored andtransported and, after emptying them, washed,sterilized, and used over again.

Another example of wide spread need for sample isolation is in thetaking of blood tests of animals or human beings and the analyses of thesamples of blood collected. In this field as well as in the milk testingfield, the practice is to take the individual samples at various placesand to carry out the analyses at a central point. Naturally the value ofthe analyses will depend to a great degree upon the freedom of thesamples from exterior contamination or from deterioration between thepoint of collection and the point of analysis. One of the particularcharacteristics of my invention is the simplicity by which the exteriorcontamination is avoided.

According to my invention I prefer to provide a container 10 which ismade up of a thin flexible plastic composition. It is desirable but notnecessary that the composition be transparent. The particular nature ofthe composition may, of course, be varied, because there are many of thesynthetic resins which will serve for this purpose. A polyethylene resinhas been found satisfactory for the particular type of container used inthe milk testing field. The container 10 is preferably a flattenedtubular body having one end 11 sealed off. The other end of thecontainer is sealed to a tube 12 at 13 so that the tube 12 forms acatheter. The container 10 may have the catheter 12 molded directly withit or inserted. The

catheter is protected by a cap 14. The cap 14 may be provided with acenter needle 15 (see Figure 9) to insure that the catheter duct isopen. The cap has space 16 for a lubricant. The needle 15 keepslubricant from entering the duct of the catheter 12 when the cap iswithdrawn. In the extraction of milk samples I find I can also.

. inserting the catheter 14 into the teat.

. sample content.

arrange the catheter with a side opening in the manner indicated inFigures 3 and 8 of the drawings, wherein the tip 17 of the catheter issolid and the central passage of the catheter has an end opening 18 atthe side of the tip 17 as illustrated. The catheter tube 12 issufficiently flexible that it may be folded over as indicated in Figures5,

6 and 7 of the drawings and sealed by a clamping tab 19 that is securedto the container and apertured at 20. The catheter can also be foldedand secured by any suitable means 'such as the rubber band 21, shown inFigure 7. The mannerof filling and emptying the container 10 isdescribed'below. The normal shape of the container is fiat or collapsedas it is shown in Figure '1.

In the taking of milk samples, the tube 10 in its flattened air'freecondition,.is applied to the teat of the particular quarter. of thec'ows udder to be tested by i The tube may normally fill withoutassistance, but if the milk does not flow into the ampule from the teat,the technician would ordinarily simply squeeze the teat with his hand,as in normal milking, to causeincrease .in fiow. When sufficient milkfor the purpose of the test has been obtained, the catheter 14. is thenwithdrawnand folded over upon itself 'and' secured by passing it throughthe tab 19. At

the testing point it is only necessary to clip ofi the catheter 14 orthe other end of the container 10 to obtain inthemanner just described,preferably are put up in sets ofz 'four. They can also be furnishedsingly. It

often happens that only one teat is diseased. All four containers of'aparticular set are stamped with a common tainersin the.se't are suitablymarked to identify the particular quarterof the udder to which itapplies. Preferably each container 10v carries two removable strips 22and 23 at'the end opposite the catheter. each carry'thesameidentification symbol as the container 10.. They are also imprinted toshow various teats, the particular teat tested, and they carry a placefor the testers name. When the laboratory findings are made these stripsare notched to indicate the findings. One strip can be returned to thetester and the other one filed for permanent record, thus avoiding thework and possible mistakes in transferring data to cards. With thisarrangement it is also desirable for the tester to keep a book recordshowing the identification of the particuthat by squeezing the fluidfilled portion 32 the seal ca identification number or symbol and theindividual con- These strips .4

lar cow tested and identifying the test by the identifica can be packedwith these containers and a certain amount of refrigerant soas to keepthe samples. in proper condition until they reach the centrallaboratory.

Referring now to Figureslt) to '16 inclusive, thisparticularmodification of the container is adapted especially .forthehandling of biologicali fluids and the like where va vaccine on theinterior of a container so that when the vaccine is to be used, water orotherfluid-may be Ja added to reconstitute the vaccine to a liquidsuspension or? solution for use.

I I The container 30 in Figure 10 is particularly adaptable to this use.This container has The present day insulating containers the twoenlarged portions31 and 32 separated by a restriction 33 .'*-In fillingthe container 30 the vaccine -is placed in the portion 31 thereof andsealed, the seal being made at 33. The container portion 32 can then befilled with water or other fluid in the right amount and sealed off at35 from the tubular inlet portion 34 which isalso sealed at 36. The seal33 is weak so be broken.

In use the seal 33 can be broken by applying pressure on the portion 32so as to mix the fluid and the vaccine in the chamber 31. The vaccinemay be withdrawn by means of the needle 37 shown in Figure 16 of thedrawings or may be poured out through the restriction 34 as. needed.

Referring now to Figure 17, this figure illustrates a simple effectivemeans to effect the emptying or filling of a container. The container 10is modified to the extent that its catheter equipped end is enlarged toform a plug or stopper 24 slightly larger than the container 10 in crosssection. A substantially rigid transparent tubular shell 25, made of atough transparent plastic composition, is provided with a tapered mouth26 to receive the stopper 24. It is also threaded on the exterior toreceive a cap 27. The other end of the shell 25 has a collapsibleresilient syringe bulb 28. secured thereto by a nipple 29. When the bulb28 wears out it can be replaced readily. Whenacontainer 10' isinsertedin the shell 25 and sealed by the'stopper 24, it can be. subjected tosubatmospheric or super-atmospheric pressure by manipulation ofthe bulb28, to aid in filling or expelling the contents of the container 10'.

Figure 18 illustrates a modified shell 25' which embodies a taperedmouth 26but' which is simplified by leaving off the threaded cap and bymaking the bulb part -28" integral with the main shell 25. For mostpurposes thissimplified form of shell is fully satisfactory. With either formof shellthe container 10 may have a bendinvention appear clearlyfrom' the foregoing description.

Having thus described my invention, I claim: 1. Means for collecting andstoring fluid samples an the like comprising an elongated flexible tube.having sealed ends and having a catheter integrally joined to one end ofthe tube incommunication with the interior of said tubefor filling oremptying the tube, a tubular shell having an end opening receiving saidcontainer, the container having an enlarged plug at the base of thecatheter and the end openingof the shell having a seat for said plug,said shell having a collapsible air bulb joined thereto whereby to applysuper-atmospheric or sub-atmospheric pressure to the exterior of acontainer sealed in said shell by the plug and seat. 2. Means forcollecting and storing fluid samples an the like comprising an elongatedflexible tube having sealed ends and having a catheter integrally joinedto one end of the tube in communication with the interior .of said tubefor filling or emptying the tube, said tube having strips projectingfrom the end opposite the catheter for recording purposes, a tubularshell having an end openlng receiving said container, the containerhaving an enlarged plug at the base of the catheterand the end opening..of: the shell haying' a' seat'for said plug, said shell having a.collapsible air bulb joined thereto whereby to; apply.super-atmosphericor sub-atmospheric pressure to the exterior of a container sealed insaid shell by the plug and seat.

. 3. A container for collecting and storing fluid samples and thelike'fcomprising alpair of flexible strips sealed together attheirfside.edgesiandat one end edge and at a polnt spaced inwardly fromtheother end edge to form: a container, theportions of the stripsbetween said other:end',e'dge and said'inwardly spaced seal formingidentification strips for recording purposes, and an elongated bendabletubular catheter-joined to the end of the container opposite theidentification strips, said i catheter being in communication with theinterior of the container. 5:

4. A cpntainer for collecting and storing fluid samples and the likecomprising a pair of flexible strips positioned one against the otherwith their edges aligned, at least one of said strips having atransverse score line thereon weakening the strip whereby to permit anend portion to be torn therefrom, said strips being sealed togetheralong their side edges and along one end edge and having a transverseseal extending thereacross between the sealed end edge and said scoreline whereby to provide a sealed pocket therebetween, the portions ofthe strips between said last named seal and the ends opposite the sealedends providing identification tabs for recording purposes, and abendable tubular catheter joined to the sealed ends of said strips andbeing in communication with the sealed pocket between the strips.

5. Means for collecting and storing fluid samples and the likecomprising an elongated flexible tube having sealed ends and having acatheter integrally jointed to one end of the tube in communication withthe interior of said tube for filling or emptying the tube, the catheterhaving its interior passage terminating at the side of the catheter injuxtaposition to the catheter tip, a tubular shell having an end openingreceiving said container, the container having an enlarged plug at thebase of the catheter and the end opening of the shell having a seat forsaid plug, said, shell having a collapsible air bulb joined theretowhereby to apply super-atmospheric or sub-atmospheric pressure to theexterior of a container sealed in said shell by the plug and seat.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS2,222,267 Schnabel Nov. 19, 1940 2,529,836 Darlington Nov. 14, 19502,655,152 Turner et a]. Oct. 13, 1953 2,680,440 Fox June 8, 19542,683,456 Pierson July 13, 1954 2,687,130 Cohen Aug. 24, 1954 2,693,189Ryan Nov. 2, 1954 2,704,076 Larson Mar. 15, 1955 2,731,053 LockhardtJan. 17, 1956 2,757,669 Gewecke et al Aug. 7, 1956

